‘Glee’ Uses Puppets To Ask “What Does The Fox Say?”
While Glee’s Thanksgiving episode wasn’t themed with the holiday, it did feature flights of fancy that wouldn’t be out of place during a post-feast food coma. There was literally something in the air at McKinley that had students and faculty daydreaming even more vividly than usual. Thankfully, before Blaine could conclude that he was finally, truly losing his mind, Sue Sylvester (of all people) managed to save the day and the school.
It all begins with Blaine taking charge during rehearsals to help everyone get prepared for nationals. His suggestions are met with mutinous outrage. Jake is the only one who agrees to Blaine’s proposal that they sing acapella, but everyone else refuses. Blaine is pissed and decides not to participate.
At the NYC loft, Kurt calls in the members of his band, Pamela Lansbury, for an emergency meeting to tell them they’ve booked their first gig. (Time to perk up, Adam Lambert and Demi Lovato fans — although, truthfully, those two don’t get enoug air time this week.) The band is split over whether or not the traditionally Broadway club is the best venue for their first performance. Despite their reservations, Kurt is confident and he visualizes them performing their version of Madonna‘s “Into the Groove” to a packed house. In Kurt’s dream, Pamela Lansbury is a smashing success, in no small part due to the band’s aggressive shoulder shimmies and harmonization. A phone call from Blaine interrupts Kurt’s vision. Kurt cautions his future husband not to come off as a “puppet master,” which kickstarts the theme for the episode.
Sue Sylvester and Janitor Figgins face off in the hallway as she brags about how well she’s done as principal so far. Cut to her chatting with members of the school board before the upcoming vote to determine whether or not she will be permanently made principal. She cites rising test scores and seems to be a shoo-in. Strangely, though, before he leaves, Superintendent Harris asks Sue out for drinks as “one of the guys.” Awkward. This interaction causes Sue to reminisce about her past as a girly teacher in the mid-’80s. Not commanding the respect she craved, she changes into her emblematic tracksuit for the first time and a star/monster is born.
Blaine laments being called controlling before seeming to fall under the spell of a gas leak at the back of the room. He hallucinates that all the other members of glee club are Muppets. They sing “You’re My Best Friend” together in perfect figurative and literal harmony. That is, until he is jerked into reality when the rest of the club awakens him from his reverie to snap at him for not singing the entire rehearsal.
Jake coaches the Cheerios on their dance routine, giving them a hard time. Bree sees him flirt with one of the girls and when she calls him on it, he basically says that he’s getting busy with all the cheerleaders. In glee club, Jake gets annoyed with the group for asking for his input, saying that no one will be able to keep up with his choreography. This launches his performance of “Nasty” by Janet Jackson with the cheerleaders . Marley and he have a little face-off, as well as he and Bree. Things get really sexy when we’re treated to a “Rhythm Nation” mashup, complete with black and white reenactments of the iconic music video. Jake wakes up from what was apparently just a dream when Janitor Figgins startles him.
Blaine asks to make a puppet in his arts and crafts elective and the result is a blue felt replica of Kurt. Sue sees him and topples while trying to walk in heels. She snaps at Blaine and confiscates the puppet.
From there, Sue strides into the rehearsal room to interrupt Will dancing. She then confesses to having a crush on Superintendent Harris, lamenting the fact that he doesn’t see her as a woman. Will offers to teach Sue how to be feminine yet powerful to the tune of the $600 he needs for new costumes for glee club, but Sue doesn’t bite. This leads into a fantasy sequence of Sue and Will as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, looking glamorous in black and white while dancing to the strains of “Cheek To Cheek.” Becky wakes her up.
Bree tells Jake she’s pregnant with his baby and asks him to go with her to the doctor.
That night, Blaine dons a black mask to bust out his beloved Kurt puppet from Sue’s desk. He is thwarted by Sue. Blaine heads home and Kurt calls him to find out if he’s ready for the Pamela Lansbury gig. Blaine’s crazy explanation for not coming to the gig — the puppet drama — leaves Kurt understandably confused and upset. However, when Kurt hangs up to see that the venue is empty, he realizes he has bigger problems. No one has shown up except a lone Murder She Wrote fan.
Sue pulls Unique into her office for some makeover tips. Blaine, Jake and Becky find themselves in detention, Breakfast Club style. Blaine finds himself again falling into a dreamland in which Becky and Jake are puppets. He’s interrupted by Jake, who dips early to meet with Bree. McKinley’s bitchiest cheerleader informs him that she got her period and doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore. She then gives Jake a talking to that makes him question his sleazy behavior as of late.
Sue strolls through the hall in a snazzy outfit, complete with heels and a skirt, looking like a million bucks. Superintendent Harris is clearly bowled over by her new look. Her tour of the school to the board is interrupted by Janitor Figgins, who accuses Sue of causing a gas leak. She retorts that she fixed the leak and is offered the principal position on a permanent basis on the spot. But her success is short-lived as she is turned down when she asks Superintendent Harris out on a date.
Tina catches Blaine having a weird moment with a puppet that looks exactly like her. She informs him that New Directions voted to let him have a song at nationals.
Jake pleads with Marley to take her back. She turns him down, despite the tears in his eyes.
Back at the loft, Pamela Lansbury finds out that they have another gig and this time, at a Brooklyn hot spot. A package arrives from Blaine with puppet replicas of all the loft members. It’s weird, but they go with it.
Blaine announces that he wants to be less controlling and offers the gang all presents of puppets that look like them. This leads into everybody singing their version of “The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?).” The loft gang, with their puppets, join in on the fun.
All in all, it’s pretty nonsensical but makes perfect sense if you watch it with a belly full of turkey and pie.
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